National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Washington. D C 20546
AC 202 755-8370

For Release IMMEDIATE

Press Kit Project COMSTAR I-A

RELEASE NO: 76-75

Contents
GENERAL RELEASE .............................. 1-2

ATLAS/CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLE ...................... 3-5

TYPICAL LAUNCH SEQUENCE FOR COMSTAR I ......... 6

LAUNCH OPERATIONS ....... .............. . . 7

NASA.TEAM ...................................... 7-8

 13. ..

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Washington, D C 20546
AC 202 755-8370

For Release
Bill O'Donnell
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE
(Phone: 202/755-8487)

RELEASE NO: 76-75

NASA TO LAUN4CH COMSTAR SATELLITE FOR COMSAT GENERAL

COMSTAR i-A, the first in a series of domestic communi-

cations satellites of COMSAT General Corp., will be launched

by NASA May 6 at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The Atlas/Centaur vehicle and associated support acti-

vities will be provided by NASA which will be reimbursed by

COMSAT General, a subsidiary of Communications Satellite

Corp. (COMSAT).

The COMSTAR spacecraft will be leased by COMSAT to the

American Telephone and Telegraph Co. (AT&T) as part of a

nationwide communications network. Each COMSTAR will have

a capacity for more than 14,000 two-way high quality voice

circuits.

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 F I- 1 . I I

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Three COMSTARs are planned for the system which will

be capable of providing communications to the 48 contiguous

states, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

The COMSTARs will be placed into geosynchronous orbits

at 36,000 kilometers (22,300 miles) altitude.

Launch wi.ndow May 6 opens at 6 p.m. and closes at

7:12 p.m. EDT.

The launch of COMSTAR spacecraft aboard Atlas/Centaur

rockets requires the coordinated efforts of a large govern-

ment and industry team. NASA's Lewis Research Center,

Cleveland, Ohio, has management responsibility for the

Atlas/Centaur development and operation. NASA's John F.

Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is assigned vehicle checkout

and launch responsibility once the vehicle reaches Cape

Canaveral.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)

 -3-

ATLAS/CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLE

The Atlas/Centaur is NASA's standard launch vehicle for

intermediate-weight payloads. It is used for the launch of
Earth-orbital, Earth-synchronous and interplanetary missions.

Centaur was the nation's first high-energy, liquid-

hydrogen/liquid-oxygen propelled rocket. Developed and
launched under the direction of NASA's Lewis Research Center,
it became operational in 1966 with the launch of Surveyor 1,
the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon's surface.

Since that time, both the Atlas booster and Centaur

second st'-rge have undergone many improvements. At present,
the vehicle combination can place 4,530 kilograms (10,000
pounds) in low Earth orbit, 1,880 kg (4,150 lb.) in a syn-
chronous transfer orbit and 900 kg (2,000 lb.) on an inter-
planetary trajectory.

The Atlas/Centaur, standing approximately 40.8 meters

(134 feet) high, consists of an Atlas SLV-3D booster and
Centaur D-lA second stage. The Atlas booster develops 1,920
kilonewtons (43',300 lb.) of thrust at liftoff using two
822,920-newton (185,000 lb.) thrust booster engines, one
266,890-N (60,000 lb.) thrust sustainer engine and two ver-
nier engines developing 2,890 N (650 lb.) thrust each. The
two RL-10 engines on Centaur produce a total of 133,450 N
(30,000 lb.) thrust. Both the Atlas and the centaur are
3.048 m (10 ft.) in diameter.

Until early 1974, Centaur was used exclusively in com-

bination with the Atlas booster. Now it is also used with
a Titan III booster to launch heavier paylodds into Earth
orbit and interplanetary trajectories.

The Atlas and the Centaur vehicles have been updated

over the years. Thrust of the Atlas engines has been in-
creased about 222,400 N (50,000 lb.) since its debut in the
space program in the early 1960s.

The Centaur D-1A has an integrated electronic system

that performs a major role in checking itself ancd other
vehicle systems Before launch and also maintains control
of major events after liftoff.

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 - '.g X

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The new Centaur system handles navigation

and guidance
tasks, controls pressurization and venting,
propellant man-
agement, telemetry formats and transmission
and initiates
vehicle events. Most operational needs can
be met by
changing the computer software.

The Centaur D-lA also incorporates a redundant

gen peroxide attitude control system that hydro-
is tolerant of a
peroxide "engine out" situation.

Typical Launch Vehicle Characteristics

Liftoff weight including spacecraft: 148,055 kg (326,400 lb.)

Liftoff height: 40.8 m (134 ft.)
Launch complex: 36-A

Atlas Booster Centaur Stage

Weight 130,469 kg 17,781 kg
(with propellants) (287,630 lb.) (39,200 lb.)
Height 21.3 m (70 ft.) 19.5 m (64 ft.
with payload
fairing)
Thrust 1,919 kn 133,447 N
(431,300 lb.) (30,000 lb.)
at sea level. in vacuum.
Propellants Liquid oxygen Liquid oxygen
and RP-1 and liquid
hydrogen
Propulsion MA-5 system two Two 66,i23-N
822,921-N (185,000 (15,000-lb.)
lb.) thrust booster thrust RL-10
engines, one engines, 12
266,893-N (60,000 small hydrogen
lb.) thrust sus- peroxide thrusters.
tainer engine, two
2,891-N (650-lb.)
thrust vernier
engines.

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(.
 -5-

Atlas Booster Centaur Stage

Velocity 8,877 kmph (5,517 33,339 1kmph

(Earth relative) mph) at booster (20,724 mph)
engine cutoff at spacecraft
(BECO), 12,294 separation.
kmph (8,076 mph)
at sustainer
engine cutoff
(SECO).

Guidance Preprogrammed pro- Inertial guidance.

file through BECO.
Switch to inertial
guidance for sus-
tainer phase.

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 -7-

LAUNCH OPERATIONS

NASA's John F. Kennedy Space

Vehicles Directorate play key Center and its Expendable
roles in the preparation and
launch of Atlas/Centaur-38 carrying
into orbit. the COMSTAR spacecraft

The Atlas and Centaur stages

Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral were erected on Pad A at
February. Air Force Station in late
The spacecraft arrive- at KSC
underwent initial checkout in on March 29 and
Hangar AO in the Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station Industrial
Area.
Spacecraft Assembly and EncapsulationIt was later moved to
Industrial Area for additional Facility-2 in the KSC
checkout and encapsulation in
the payload shroud which will
protect it during its flight
through the atmosphere.

The encapsulated spacecraft

Centaur-38 April 27. was mated with Atlas,/
In providing launch operations,
handles scheduling of test milestones, KSC
out activities and review of participates in check-
data to assure that the space
vehicle has met all its test
requirements and is ready for
launch.

All launch vehicle and pad operations

countdown are conducted from during the launch
the blockhouse of Complex 36
a joint government-industry team. by

NASA TEAM

NASA Headquarters

John F.. Yardley

Associate Administrator
for Space Flight
Joseph B. Mahon
Director of Expendable
Launch Vehicle Programs
F. R. Schmidt
Manager. Atlas/Centaur

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Ls
 -8-

Lewis Research Center

Dr. Bruce T. Lundin Director

Dr. Seymour C. Himmel Associate Director for

Flight Programs

Andrew J. Stofan Director of Launch Vehicles

Henry 0. Slone Centaur Systems Manager

Kenneth A. Adams COMSTAR I Mission Project

Engineer

Richard A. Flage Launch Vehicle Test

Integration Engineer

Richard E. Orzechowski Launch Vehicle Range

Integration Engineer

Kennedy Space Center

Lee R. Scherer Director

Miles Ross Deputy Director

Dr. Walter J. Kapryan Director, Space Vehicles

Operations

George F. Page Director, Expendable Vehicles

John D. Gossett Manager, Centaur Operations

Creighton A. Terhune Engineering Manager,

Centaur Operations

J. M. Harrington Complex 36 Operations

Manager

James N. McKnight Project Engineer, COMSTAR

Spacecraft

April 27, 1976

 taJ A

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Washington D C 20546
AC 202 755-8370

For Release
Miguel Padilla
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE
(Phone: 202/755-3147)

RELEASE NO: 76-76

NASA TESTING GASEOUS NUCLEAR CORE REACTOR

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico has

begun testing a model of a nuclear reactor being developed

under a NASA-sponsored research program for applications in

space. The reactor would use a gaseous rather than a solid

nuclear fuel.

A gaseous fuel reactor capable of producing power for

Earth as well as for space applications could operate at

temperatures at which solid fuel rods would melt. This higher

operating temperature would make the gaseous fuel reactor

potentially more efficient than conventional solid core

reactors.

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 -2-

The gaseous fuel permits continuous fuel reprocessing,

eliminating the need for a separate nuclear fuel reproces-

sing plant required for solid fuel. Predicted fueL effi-

ciency in space power applications, would translate into

economy and reduced specific mass and weight.

Recent success in nuclear energized laser research

the
conducted under NASA direction indicates that part of
directly
power from a gaseous fuel reactor could be generated
genera-
as laser light beams, offering the prospect of a new

tion of space technology. Using this concept, energy from

by
a nuclear power station in space might be transmitted

laser beam over large distances to users on space platforms,

lunar oases or to spaceships for propulsion.

Besides its predicted advantages for space application,

a gaseous fuel reactor would have several advantages if used

on Earth. Loss-of-cooling and melt-down problems common to

solid fuel reactors might be largely eliminated. Gaseous

reactors would be able to burn up a portion of their own

long-lived nuclear waste products.

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The gaseous reactor experiments now in progress are

using hardware salvaged from an earlier NASA-Atomic Energy

Commission nuclear rocket program.

The next steps in the research program will be tests

of the experimental reactor with recycling of the gaseous

fuel and its mechanical confinement for high temperature

and high power operation.

The work at Los Alamos is supplemented by theoretical

and experimental research under NASA grants with five uni-

versities and an industrial laboratory.

0 ArlfI97

April 23', 1976